Live in Algeria----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Entry formalities

In order to make a tourist or business trip, it’s necessary to have a visa delivered by the Consulate of Algeria on presentation of professional invitation or for private using. When this visa contains several entries, it may be granted for duration of three months, six months, one year or two years.

It contains periods of stay of until 90 days, whereas the cumulated stay in Algeria may go until 180 days par year. Two types of visa may be delivered:

Business visa : granted on the basis of invitation letter of the Algerian partner or a written undertaking or assignment order of the organism which employs the visa seeker, and the hotel booking or the certificate of taking in charge of the inviting organism.

Work visa : granted on the basis of employment contract and a temporary authorization of employment that precedes work permit delivered by the competent services in charge of employment, in addition to a certificate of the employer organism countersigned by the concerned services.

The stay in Algeria for one year and more requires a residence card, for which, the concerned must proceed to their registration at the embassy (or consul) of wich they are nationals. To this purpose, a file needs to be introduced, including a certificate of birth, a family record book and a work certificate (if the person has an employment contract in Algeria) or to notify the status (if the concerned is a head of a company). The card of residence can be requested then at the foreigners department coming under the territorially competent wilaya.

Foreigners who work in Algeria must obtain a work permit or a temporary authorization of employment delivered by the employment inspectorate services of the concerned wilaya.

Infrastructure of accommodation

El Aurassi -Alger- Sheraton -Alger- Hilton -Alger- Sofitel -Alger-

These last years, the infrastructure for travelers reception in Algeria has appreciably improved. In addition to the old big existing establishments (El Djazaîr-ex Saint Georges, El Aurassi, Es-Safir-ex Aletti), big 5 stars hotels have been set up by international chains of business hotels (Sofitel, Mercure, Hilton, Sheraton, Ibis, Accord).

Cirta -Constanine-

Others luxury hotel complexes are under construction in the big cities. 2 stars hotels are also under construction through all the territory, by the Accord chain in partnership with an important algerian businessgroup .

The Constitution of 1989 has for the first time in Algeria”s history devoted the pluralism and the opening to the external trade, until then State’s monopoly. The Algerian political and institutional system devotes the presidential system for the executive power.

The President of the Republic is elected through direct and secret universal suffrage for five years. He is re-eligible. The constitutional revision of November 28th, 1996 has established a bicameral parliament, National Popular Assembly, first Algerian Chamber of the Parliament and the Council of Nation, second Chamber of the Parliament. The President of Council of Nation stands in for the President of the Republic in case of Power vacancy, but he can’t stand for election to succeed the President. The Prime Minister, designated by the President of the Republic, implements the governmental policy.

There is also a Constitutional Council which watches over the laws constitutionality and to the regularity of referendum, legislatives election and the President of Republic election operations. The others main institutions of the Algerian State are the High Council of Security, the Supreme Court, the Council of State, the High Islamic Council and the Social and Economic National Council. These institutions have consultative role.

Legal framwork

The Constitution provides for an independent judicial system which protects the society and the liberties, based on principles of law and equality. It allows recourses against acts of public powers. The judge is protected against all types of pressures and he does not obey anything except the law. He is responsible before the High Council for judiciary. The Algerian judicial organization is characterized by three main features: the Jurisdiction duality, the simplicity of procedures and the rapprochement of the justice to the one to be tried.

The main structures of this system are :

The Supreme Court: it is a law judge and punishes, in that capacity, any violation to the law. It decides as far as recourses are concrend, particularly, the motions for annulment and the motions to reopen proceedings.. In some cases, it is both judge of law and judge of content.

The State Council: it is a regulating organ of the jurisdictions activity, under the Judicial power. It ensures the administrative case law unification through the country and sees to it that the law is respected. It benefits from independence while on judicial duty.

The Superior Council of Magistrature: headed by the President of the Republic, it sees to it that the public office statutes is respected and controls discipline among magistrates.

Education – Training

In Algeria, the education is free and constitutes a constitutional right. It is even obligatory and guaranteed for children inbetween 6 and 15 years old.. The Algerian State considers it as a priority, for which it allows each year, 20% of its budget and 6.4% of its GDP. The number of children attending school represents 98% of the population, with a percentage of children in full-time education higher than 85% for children from 6 to 14 years old.

The country which counted just 3000 students just after its independence, records today:

literacy rate of 78% for men and 61% for women,

registration rate of 75% each year of population being old enough for training,

almost 7 000 000 registered at the college per year,

an average annual rate of success to the baccalauréat (college Diploma) of 40%,

almost 300 000 new registered at higher education,

almost 900 000 registered at the university, per year,

almost 500 000 registered in professional training,

more than 130 000 graduates per year,

almost 80 000 graduates from professional training per year,

60 universities (the first one is l’Université d’Alger” established in 1879), including 17 multidisciplinary located trough out 41 wilaya and structured into faculties and institutes to take in charge pedagogical, scientific and research activities. The Universities are structured into 136 faculties and 90 institutes, university while centres are into 70 institutes, that’s to say a total of 215,

658 establishments of professional training,

18 research establishments,

639 research laboratories,

30 510 permanent teachers

Education and professional training cover almost all the classic fields but also fields in relation with the world of work and company such as finances, trade, management, marketing and human resources.

Health

In Algeria the health system is entrusted to the Ministry of Health, Population and Hospital Reform which handles health and hospital cares in the public sector and controls the conditions for practicing in the private sector.

The Social Security Cover is managed by three national funds under the supervision of the Ministry of Work and Social Security, namely the National Fund of employees Social Insurance (CNAS), National Fund of non salaried Social Security (CASNOS) and the National Fund of Retirement (CNR).

The Social Protection scheme covers social insurances (illness, maternity, invalidity, death, etc), the retirement, work accidents and professional illness, family benefits, unemployment insurance and anticipated retirement.

Health development program for 2005-2009 has allowed, among others, the realisation of 65 hospitals, including an institute for kidney and one of cancer, 76 polyclinics, 168 health centres, 40 care rooms, 6 sanitary control to frontiers, 4 haemodialysis centres and one paramedical training institute.

Media

Press

The democratic opening and the political pluralism instituted by the Constitution of February 1989, added to real freedom of press led to the diversification and expansion of the press which comprises today more than 30 dailies and 190 weeklies and magazines in Arabic and French, private newspapers are predominant. Around 2million copies are run off per year for the daily press.

Radio and television

Algerian radio has many national or local channels which broadcast, in Arabic, Berber and French., very rich and diversified programmes. The national television run by the National Company of Television ENTV, (Entreprise Nationale de Télévision ), has today 5 channels, four of which are satellite channels, canal Algérie, A3, A4, and A5. These state owned broadcasting media know, since few years, a strong intrusion of commercial advertisements.